1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video camera, and more particularly to a video camera having an electronic viewfinder that can be opened and closed and that is also rotatably mounted on a video camera body for increased visibility of the electronic viewfinder and adapting the electronic viewfinder to various modes of use of the video camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some small-size video cameras that have been available in recent years have an electronic viewfinder (hereinafter referred to as an “EVF”) comprising a liquid crystal display unit (hereinafter referred to as an “LCD”) integrally coupled externally to a video camera body.
One such video camera comprises two casings integrally coupled to each other by a joint means, one of the casings serving as a video camera body and the other casing as an EVF unit. The video camera body has a lens system, a CCD (charge-coupled device), etc. accommodated therein. The EVF unit mainly has an EVF and a mechanism for recording and playing a video tape, etc. accommodated therein.
Another such video camera comprises a lens system, a CCD, a mechanism for recording and playing a video tape, etc. accommodated in the casing of a video camera body, and a large-size EVF added externally to the video camera body separately in addition to a viewfinder.
In the former conventional video camera in which the EVF is integrally joined to the video camera body, the EVF unit is only openable and closable or rotatable with respect to the video camera body, and suffers limitations on the freedom of angular adjustments of the EVF unit for increased visibility of the EVF unit when the video camera is in use.
In some video cameras of the latter conventional design, the EVF is stored in position on the video camera body with the display surface facing outwardly. The display surface of the EVF thus tends to become damaged or smeared with dust, and the LCD itself is liable to be damaged. According to another video camera arrangement, the EVF is stored in position on the video camera body with the display surface facing inwardly to avoid the above problem. However, when the EVF is stored in position with the display surface facing inwardly, the user of the video camera cannot see the display surface of the EVF, and cannot use the video camera as it is, thus posing another problem.